The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-01-12

The growth OF our order and the motto
taken OF i: by the press Of the land ne
awakened an interest in the labor move
ment among men who have never givel
the question of organization thought
Thousands OF men are knocking for ad
mittapce; they are actuated by all sort
OF motives. Among the number wht
would ike to become members, [ fnt
quite 4 few liquor dealers, and I an
written to every day to know ''if--
cannot be admitted; it is true he is en-
gagged in the liquor traffic, or his wife
sells liquor, or he is III some way con
nccted with the gum interests, but W.
know he would maze a good member
The decisions of the General Maste
Workman are now published in bool
orm. Turn to the pages of that book
and you will see decision after decision
on the eligibility of those connected witt
the saloon business.
One of ny correspondents asks why
reversed the decision of my predecessor
the decision reads as follows:
''22. Men of god report, respectable
and honorable keepers of roadside inns
for the bona tide entertainment OF trav
elers and their animals, with bed an6
board for the same, connected with the
real interests OF the locality in which
they live, do not come under the classi.
fcation of saloon keeper and liquor
dealer, and may be admitted to member.
ship under the ''law of the ballot.
1t is true that my decisions are IN con-
fict with the above, but il was through
no disrespect to Brother Stephens that ]
made them. They are as follows:
''61. An agent for any liquor estab'
hshment (be that establishment whole
sale or retail, or be he the agent, manu-
facture or dealer is not eligible to mem
bership.'
':S5. No person can be member OF
the Order whose wife sells liquor. He
must either get divorce from his wife
or from this organization. The latter
can be granted in the shape of an hon
orable withdrawal card.
1856. Rumseners CAN NOT be admitted
to membership, and an member engaged
in the business Of rumselling, directly
or indirectly, whether by barrel, gallon,
quart, pint, or gill, who sells either by
himself in person or in proxy, must ap-
ply for and be granted withdrawal
card; and if he neglects to make apph-
cation therefor, at once the Recording
Secretary Of the Local Assembly shall
notify him Of his neglect, and at the
next meeting withdrawal card shall be
issued to the brother. y
''97. Ii during the interval between
the election and initiation Of candidate
he engages in the liquor traffic, either
for his own purpose or OF another, he is
disqualified, and cannot be covered with
our shield.
is, the proprietor or owner OF the
brewery is not eligible to membership.
The men employed in the brewery are
eligible to membership. Ii you turn to
pages 2S5, Proceedings of General AS
scmbly of 1856, you will get an idea Of
why oppose the admission of those en-.
gagged in the liquor traffic. Our Order
cannot be beneficial to the liquor dealer
and the laborer. .
Ii the reader will examine No. - care
fully he viii see that if allowed to stand
as law it would open the door to every
rumseller IN the land. The man who
keeps a saloon on Broadway, New York,
is the "ieeper OF roadside inn, and
up to the present time no one has heard a
man engaged in the liquor business ad-
NIT that he was not respectable and
honorable %
Even with the law as it now stands ]
am pcstercd every day with inquiries
and appeals from Assemblies here and
there to give decision on the advisia-
bility Of admitting some one who has az
interest in a liquor establishment. AL
sorts of excuses in order to open the
doors OF the Knights of Labor to the
dealer in spirits. To-day find the fol-
lowing on my desk:
"AIr a good-natured,
liberal man, and very favorable to us.
One Of our members, while in his place
spoke rather unrcscrvedly of the affairs
OF the Order. Mr-----has gained
knowledge of our secrets. We are OF the
opinion that dispensation from you to
allow us to initiate Mr.. ----would
settle the difficulty"
This is my answer to that request: |
will never grant dispcnsation to any
man engaged in calling likely to bring
discredit to the Order. In frequenting
this mans place member loses his wits.
If he gets into tho Order he will be in
position to do more injury. I do not
care how good-natured he may be, that
belongs to his trade. The spider would
be considered good-natured by tho per-
son who saw him invite the fly into his
parlor, but if Mr.. Fly could get out of
the parlor his testimony would convict
the spider Of being ''good-natured" for
purpose. This man may be liberal,
but if other men were not idiots he
could not be so very liberal on the
money they stole from his wife and
child to give to HIM, He may be liberal,
but you cannot afford to be, because you
have given TO the saloon keeper your
earnings.
l am asked II young man working
for himself, over twenty-one years OF
age, may become member if his father
sells drink. | have no objections to
such a person, but il his presence in the
Assembly is likely to lead one person
into his fathers ''parlor" who would not
otherwise so there, then l am opposed
to his coming IN.
l regret to note the narrow interprc-
ation given to my rulings. it is not
the saloon keeper object to, it Is the
influence Of rum; and if l know that
III admission Of any mar or woman
Vii lead men INTO SaloOns. am Of opinion